Telephone booth spacer



Oct- 31, '1939- P. H. sHERRoN TELEPHONE BOOTH SPACER Filed Jan. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mii/w Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a telephone booth spacer designed to space adjoining telephone booths arranged side by side in series and to close or cover the gap between such adjoining booths.

In arranging the installation of a series of public telephone booths it is customary to pla'ce the booths side by side, but I have found it, however, generally undesirable, for adequate sound insulation, to have the walls of adjoining booths actually contact each other. If the adjoining booths be merely slightly separated, however, the spacing is apt to be non-uniform, and the space between the booths tends to collect dust and debris and to present a generally unsightly appearance.

In my copending application, Serial No. 120,322, led January 13, 1937, I have described and claimed an improved metal telephone booth. The present invention is particularly directed to the installation of such booths in series or banks, and involves a specially designed member adapted to close the opening or space left between the walls of adjoining booths.

The accompanying drawings show a preferred embodiment of my invention, which will accordingly be described with reference thereto. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a single telephone booth of the type shown in my said application Serial No. 120,322, filed January 13, 1937.

Fig 2 is fragmentary front elevation showing two booths of the type shown in Fig. 1 positioned side by side with my spacing member in place between them.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, also fragmentary, of the adjoining booths shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the body of my spacing member. y

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2.

And Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 in Fig 2.

The telephone booth I has an outer Wall 3, preferably of one piece, open at the front to form a doorway bounded by door jambs 5 and closed by a folding door 'I. A baseboard 9 formed by a flange on the floor assembly II is Welded to the lower edge of the outer face of wall 3.

The spacer member I3 is formed preferably of metal matching the booth and has a body portion I5, shown in cross-section in Fig. 4, which extends from the upper edge of the baseboard 9 to the top of the booth wall 3, which, as shown in Fig. 2J extends somewhat above the level of the roof I'I. The body portion I5 of the spacer member comprises a plate I9, embossed with a central (Cl. 18S-34) longitudinal rib 2 I, and bent back upon itself at 23. Flanges 25 integral with the body extend out` wardly, in normally divergent paths, from the portions 23.

Extending downward from the body portion I5 of the spacer for a distance equal to the height of baseboard 9 is skirt portion 2I of the spacer member, in which the plate I9 and rib 2| are continued, but portions 23 and flanges 25 are omitted. Machine screws 29, receivable in tapped holes in the baseboard 9 and jamb 5 of each booth, serve to secure the skirt 2'I to the booths.

At the upper end of the spacer I3 the material forming anges 25 is 'continued upwardly above the upper end of plate I9 and bent over upon itself to form hook-like straps 3l.

In arranging the telephone booths in series or banks in accordance with my invention the booths are positioned side by side with the walls of adjoining booths spaced a distance a-a, determined by the width of the spacer I3 at b-b. The spacer I3 is then slipped into place between the booths with the flanges 25 sprung into the opening between the booth walls to frictionally engage the same by reason of their resiliency, and the hookstraps 3l are engaged with the upper edges of the walls 3. Skirt 21 of the spacer is then secured to the booths by means of screws 29, and the entire space between the adjacent booths is thus closed by the member I3.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:v

l. A spacer for covering and concealing the space between spaced apart side walls of adja cent telephone booths comprising a front-plate extending vertically when innormal use and a pair of rearwardly and outwardly extending flanges resiliently connected to said front-plate and extending from a point adjacent the bottom to above the top thereof, those portions of said flanges extending above the top of the front-plate being bent upon themselves about a horizontal axis to form a pair of hook-like members.

2. A spacer for covering and concealing the space between spaced apart side walls of adjacent telephone booths comprising a body portion having a front-plate extending vertically when in normal use and a pair of rearwardly and outwardly extending flanges resiliently connected to said front-plate and a flangeless skirt portion forming a continuation of` said front plate and extending below the body portion.

PERCIVAL I-I. SHERRON. 

